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Śniatała B, Al-Hazmi HE, Sobotka D, Zhai J, Mąkinia J. Advancing sustainable wastewater management: A comprehensive review of nutrient recovery products and their applications. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173446. [PMID: 38788940 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater serves as a vital resource for sustainable fertilizer production, particularly in the recovery of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). This comprehensive study explores the recovery chain, from technology to final product reuse. Biomass growth is the most cost-effective method, valorizing up to 95 % of nutrients, although facing safety concerns. Various techniques enable the recovery of 100 % P and up to 99 % N, but challenges arise during the final product crystallization due to the high solubility of ammonium salts. Among these techniques, chemical precipitation and ammonia stripping/ absorption have achieved full commercialization, with estimated recovery costs of 6.0-10.0 EUR kgP-1 and 4.4-4.8 £ kgN-1, respectively. Multiple technologies integrating biomass thermo-chemical processing and P and/or N have also reached technology readiness level TRL = 9. However, due to maturing regulatory of waste-derived products, not all of their products are commercially available. The non-homogenous nature of wastewater introduces impurities into nutrient recovery products. While calcium and iron impurities may impact product bioavailability, some full-scale P recovery technologies deliver products containing this admixture. Recovered mineral nutrient forms have shown up to 60 % higher yield biomass growth compared to synthetic fertilizers. Life cycle assessment studies confirm the positive environmental outcomes of nutrient recycling from wastewater to agricultural applications. Integration of novel technologies may increase wastewater treatment costs by a few percent, but this can be offset through renewable energy utilization and the sale of recovered products. Moreover, simultaneous nutrient recovery and energy production via bio-electrochemical processes contributes to carbon neutrality achieving. Interdisciplinary cooperation is essential to offset both energy and chemicals inputs, increase their cos-efficiency and optimize technologies and understand the nutrient release patterns of wastewater-derived products on various crops. Addressing non-technological factors, such as legal and financial support, infrastructure redesign, and market-readiness, is crucial for successfully implementation and securing the global food production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogna Śniatała
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Hussein E Al-Hazmi
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Dominika Sobotka
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Jun Zhai
- Institute for Smart City of Chongqing University in Liyang, Chongqing University, Jiangsu 213300, China
| | - Jacek Mąkinia
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, Gdańsk, Poland.
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da Silva LJR, da Silva Sandim A, da Silva APR, Deus ACF, Antonangelo JA, Büll LT. Evaluating the agronomic efficiency of alternative phosphorus sources applied in Brazilian tropical soils. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8526. [PMID: 38609406 PMCID: PMC11015031 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58911-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the efficacy of alternative phosphorus (P) sources in tropical soils is crucial for sustainable farming, addressing resource constraints, mitigating environmental impact, improving crop productivity, and optimizing soil-specific solutions. While the topic holds great importance, current literature falls short in providing thorough, region-specific studies on the effectiveness of alternative P sources in Brazilian tropical soils for maize cultivation. Our aim was to assess the agronomic efficiency of alternative P sources concerning maize crop (Zea mays L.) attributes, including height, shoot dry weight, stem diameter, and nutrient accumulation, across five Brazilian tropical soils. In greenhouse conditions, we carried out a randomized complete block design, investigating two factors (soil type and P sources), evaluating five tropical soils with varying clay contents and three alternative sources of P, as well as a commercial source and a control group. We evaluated maize crop attributes such as height, dry weight biomass, and nutrient accumulation, P availability and agronomic efficiency. Our results showed that, although triple superphosphate (TSP) exhibited greater values than alternative P sources (precipitated phosphorus 1, precipitated phosphorus 2 and reactive phosphate) for maize crop attributes (e.g., height, stem diameter, shoot dry weight and phosphorus, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium and magnesium accumulation). For instance, PP1 source increased nutrient accumulation for phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) by 37.05% and 75.98% (P), 34.39% and 72.07% (N), and 41.94% and 72.69% (S) in comparison to PP2 and RP, respectively. Additionally, PP1 substantially increased P availability in soils with high clay contents 15 days after planting (DAP), showing increases of 61.90%, 99.04%, and 38.09% greater than PP2, RP, and TSP. For Ca and Mg accumulation, the highest values were found in the COxisol2 soil when PP2 was applied, Ca = 44.31% and 69.48%; and Mg = 46.23 and 75.79%, greater than PP1 and RP, respectively. Finally, the highest values for relative agronomic efficiency were observed in COxisol2 when PP1 was applied. The precipitated phosphate sources (PP1 and PP2) exhibited a similar behavior to that of the commercial source (TSP), suggesting their potential use to reduce reliance on TSP fertilization, especially in soils with low clay contents. This study emphasized strategies for soil P management, aimed at assisting farmers in enhancing maize crop productivity while simultaneously addressing the effectiveness of alternative P sources of reduced costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Jónatan Rodrigues da Silva
- Department of Forest Science, Soils and Environment, College of Agronomic Sciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-307, Brazil.
| | - Aline da Silva Sandim
- Department of Forest Science, Soils and Environment, College of Agronomic Sciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-307, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Rodrigues da Silva
- Department of Forest Science, Soils and Environment, College of Agronomic Sciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-307, Brazil
| | - Angélica Cristina Fernandes Deus
- Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering and Soils, College of Engineering, São Paulo State University, Ilha Solteira, SP, 15385-000, Brazil
| | | | - Leonardo Theodoro Büll
- Department of Forest Science, Soils and Environment, College of Agronomic Sciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-307, Brazil
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Ersahin ME, Cicekalan B, Cengiz AI, Zhang X, Ozgun H. Nutrient recovery from municipal solid waste leachate in the scope of circular economy: Recent developments and future perspectives. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 335:117518. [PMID: 36841005 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Holistically considering the current situation of the commercial synthetic fertilizer (CSF) market, recent global developments, and future projection studies, dependency on CSFs in agricultural production born significant risks, especially to the food security of foreign-dependent countries. The foreign dependency of countries in terms of CSFs can be reduced by the concepts such as the circular economy and resource recovery. Recently, waste streams are considered as a source in order to produce recovery-based fertilizers (RBF). RBFs produced from different waste streams can be substituted with CSFs as input for agricultural applications. Municipal solid waste leachate (MSWL) is one of the waste streams that have a high potential for RBF production. Distribution of the published papers over the years shows that this potential was noticed by more researchers in the millennium. MSWL contains a remarkable amount of nitrogen and phosphorus which are the main nutrients required for agricultural production. These nutrients can be recovered with many different methods such as microalgae cultivation, chemical precipitation, ammonia stripping, membrane separation, etc. MSWL can be generated within the different phases of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Although it is mainly composed of landfill leachate (LL), composting plant leachate (CPL), incineration plant leachate (IPL), and transfer station leachate (TSL) should be considered as potential sources to produce RBF. This study compiles studies conducted on MSWL from the perspective of nitrogen and phosphorus recovery. Moreover, recent developments and limitations of the subject were extensively discussed and future perspectives were introduced by considering the entire MSW management. Investigated studies in this review showed that the potential of MSWL to produce RBF is significant. The outcomes of this paper will serve the countries for ensuring their food security by implementing the resource recovery concept to produce RBF. Thus, the risks born with the recent global developments could be overcome in this way besides the positive environmental outcomes of resource recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Evren Ersahin
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Busra Cicekalan
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ali Izzet Cengiz
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Xuedong Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Hale Ozgun
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
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Dombinov V, Herzel H, Meiller M, Müller F, Willbold S, Zang JW, da Fonseca-Zang WA, Adam C, Klose H, Poorter H, Jablonowski ND, Schrey SD. Sugarcane bagasse ash as fertilizer for soybeans: Effects of added residues on ash composition, mineralogy, phosphorus extractability and plant availability. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1041924. [PMID: 36570952 PMCID: PMC9774024 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1041924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Sugarcane bagasse is commonly combusted to generate energy. Unfortunately, recycling strategies rarely consider the resulting ash as a potential fertilizer. To evaluate this recycling strategy for a sustainable circular economy, we characterized bagasse ash as a fertilizer and measured the effects of co-gasification and co-combustion of bagasse with either chicken manure or sewage sludge: on the phosphorus (P) mass fraction, P-extractability, and mineral P phases. Furthermore, we investigated the ashes as fertilizer for soybeans under greenhouse conditions. All methods in combination are reliable indicators helping to assess and predict P availability from ashes to soybeans. The fertilizer efficiency of pure bagasse ash increased with the ash amount supplied to the substrate. Nevertheless, it was not as effective as fertilization with triple-superphosphate and K2SO4, which we attributed to lower P availability. Co-gasification and co-combustion increased the P mass fraction in all bagasse-based ashes, but its extractability and availability to soybeans increased only when co-processed with chicken manure, because it enabled the formation of readily available Ca-alkali phosphates. Therefore, we recommend co-combusting biomass with alkali-rich residues to increase the availability of P from the ash to plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitalij Dombinov
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Hannes Herzel
- Thermochemical Residues Treatment and Resource Recovery, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Meiller
- Renewable Energy, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany
| | - Felix Müller
- Thermal Process Technology, TU Clausthal (CUTEC), Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
| | - Sabine Willbold
- Central Institute for Engineering, Electronics and Analytics, Analytics (ZEA-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Joachim W. Zang
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Goiás (IFG), Goiânia, Brazil
| | | | - Christian Adam
- Thermochemical Residues Treatment and Resource Recovery, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
| | - Holger Klose
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Nicolai D. Jablonowski
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Silvia D. Schrey
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
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Valle SF, Giroto AS, Dombinov V, Robles-Aguilar AA, Jablonowski ND, Ribeiro C. Struvite-based composites for slow-release fertilization: a case study in sand. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14176. [PMID: 35986201 PMCID: PMC9391495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18214-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Struvite (St) recovered from wastewaters is a sustainable option for phosphorus (P) recovery and fertilization, whose solubility is low in water and high in environments characterized by a low pH, such as acidic soils. To broaden the use of struvite in the field, its application as granules is recommended, and thus the way of application should be optimized to control the solubility. In this study struvite slow-release fertilizers were designed by dispersing St particles (25, 50, and 75 wt%) in a biodegradable and hydrophilic matrix of thermoplastic starch (TPS). It was shown that, in citric acid solution (pH = 2), TPS promoted a steadier P-release from St compared to the pure St pattern. In a pH neutral sand, P-diffusion from St-TPS fertilizers was slower than from the positive control of triple superphosphate (TSP). Nevertheless, St-TPS featured comparable maize growth (i.e. plant height, leaf area, and biomass) and similar available P as TSP in sand after 42 days of cultivation. These results indicated that St-TPS slow P release could provide enough P for maize in sand, achieving a desirable agronomic efficiency while also reducing P runoff losses in highly permeable soils.
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Ravi R, Beyers M, Bruun S, Meers E. Life cycle assessment of struvite recovery and wastewater sludge end-use: A Flemish illustration. RESOURCES, CONSERVATION, AND RECYCLING 2022; 182:106325. [PMID: 35782309 PMCID: PMC9093075 DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Phosphate rock (PR) has been designated as a Critical Raw Material in the European Union (EU). This has led to increased emphasis on alternative P recovery (APR) from secondary streams like wastewater sludge (WWS). However, WWS end-use is a contentious topic, and EU member states prefer different end-use pathways (land application/incineration/valorisation in cement kilns). Previous Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) on APRs from WWS reached contrasting conclusions; while most considered WWS as waste and highlighted a net benefit relative to PR mining and beneficiation, others viewed WWS as a resource and highlighted a net burden of the treatment. We used a combined functional unit (that views WWS from a waste as well as a resource perspective) and applied it on a Flemish wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with struvite recovery as APR technology. Firstly, a retrospective comparison was performed to measure the WWTP performance before and after struvite recovery and the analysis was complemented by uncertainty and global sensitivity analyses. The results showed struvite recovery provides marginal environmental benefits due to improved WWS dewatering and reduced polymer use. Secondly, a prospective LCA approach was performed to reflect policy changes regarding WWS end-use options in Flanders. Results indicated complete mono-incineration of WWS, ash processing to recover P and the subsequent land application appears to be less sustainable in terms of climate change, human toxicity, and terrestrial acidification relative to the status quo, i.e., co-incineration with municipal solid waste and valorisation at cement kilns. Impacts on fossil depletion, however, favour mono-incineration over the status quo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Ravi
- RE-SOURCE LAB, Laboratory for BioResource Recovery, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links-653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, DK-1871, Denmark
| | - Miriam Beyers
- RE-SOURCE LAB, Laboratory for BioResource Recovery, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links-653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, DK-1871, Denmark
| | - Sander Bruun
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, DK-1871, Denmark
| | - Erik Meers
- RE-SOURCE LAB, Laboratory for BioResource Recovery, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links-653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
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Valle SF, Giroto AS, Guimarães GGF, Nagel KA, Galinski A, Cohnen J, Jablonowski ND, Ribeiro C. Co-fertilization of Sulfur and Struvite-Phosphorus in a Slow-Release Fertilizer Improves Soybean Cultivation. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:861574. [PMID: 35620702 PMCID: PMC9127873 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.861574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In face of the alarming world population growth predictions and its threat to food security, the development of sustainable fertilizer alternatives is urgent. Moreover, fertilizer performance should be assessed not only in terms of yield but also in root system development, as it impacts soil fertility and crop productivity. Fertilizers containing a polysulfide matrix (PS) with dispersed struvite (St) were studied for S and P nutrition due to their controlled-release behavior. Soybean cultivation in a closed system with St/PS composites provided superior biomass compared to a reference of triple superphosphate (TSP) with ammonium sulfate (AS), with up to 3 and 10 times higher mass of shoots and roots, respectively. Root system architectural changes may explain these results, with a higher proliferation of second order lateral roots in response to struvite ongoing P delivery. The total root length was between 1,942 and 4,291 cm for plants under St/PS composites and only 982 cm with TSP/AS. While phosphorus uptake efficiency was similar in all fertilized treatments (11-14%), St/PS achieved a 22% sulfur uptake efficiency against only 8% from TSP/AS. Overall, the composites showed great potential as efficient slow-release fertilizers for enhanced soybean productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella F. Valle
- Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
- Embrapa Instrumentation, São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | | | - Kerstin A. Nagel
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Anna Galinski
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Jens Cohnen
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Nicolai D. Jablonowski
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- *Correspondence: Nicolai D. Jablonowski,
| | - Caue Ribeiro
- Embrapa Instrumentation, São Carlos, Brazil
- Caue Ribeiro,
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